The present invention relates to a toner storing container used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer, a toner replenishing device and toner for electrophotographic development filled in the toner storing container.
A toner storing container and a toner replenishing device used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic apparatus have been required to cope with high speeds and multiple types of the image forming apparatuses. Namely, the high speeds have required that a toner storing container has a larger capacity, and toner in the toner storing container can be supplied constantly to a developing device. When residual toner in the toner storing container is running low, in particular, it is required that toner remaining on the bottom of the toner storing container is supplied smoothly to the developing unit, and the toner storing container is replaced with new one. On the other hand, multiple types require that each type is made to be common, because a change in a shape of the toner storing container and a change in the toner replenishing device for each type cause a remarkable cost increase. However, if everything is made to be common completely, toner storing containers each containing toner of different color or different type are set erroneously, which is an evil. Therefore, there has been demanded a means to prevent erroneous setting of the toner storing container.
Further, in the past, as a material of a container which is filled with powder such as toner for electrophotographic development used for copies, there have been used metal, paper and plastics. Presently, with regard to a material for a main body of the container, a container which is made of plastic to be almost cylindrical in terms of a shape has become popular. The reason for this is that productivity in manufacturing is excellent, powder such as toner can be filled efficiently, an object filled inside such as toner for electrophotographic development is not adversely affected, and a shape of an engaging section that functions when the container is loaded in a developing unit is relatively easy for manufacture.
Objects filled in these containers are not allowed to leak out of the containers and to scatter in any case of their preservation, transport and installation in an image forming apparatus. Recently, these containers are in a tendency that they are collected and reused for the reasons of conservation of natural resources and prevention of environmental pollution.
However, when reusing the containers, they need to be Classified for separation into members that can be reused if they are just cleaned as they are and those that require to be molded again for reusing, by considering various factors such as a property and cost of a material, guarantee of reliability for reusing, and simplicity (no environmental pollution is emitted) for disposal.
Further, a method to use adhesive agents is not preferable, because manufacture of containers or disassemble and separation of containers for reusing must be easy. In addition, it is important that a member that can not be reused can easily be distinguished, because a big problems is caused if it is reused after being used once.
Presently, however, a container which satisfies all the requirements stated above and toner for electrophotographic development filled in the container have not been manufactured.
The first object of the invention is to provide, for high speeds of an image forming apparatus, a toner storing container and a toner replenishing device wherein toner in the toner storing container can be supplied constantly to a developing device even when residual toner is running low, and to provide, for multiple types of an image forming apparatus, a toner storing container and a toner replenishing device wherein a structure for preventing erroneous setting of the toner storing container is simple, the basic structures of the toner storing container and the toner replenishing device do not need to be changed, and many types of toner can be distinguished by a slight design change.
The second object of the invention is to provide a powder storing container in which powder such as toner for electrophotographic development is filled wherein filled objects neither leak out nor scatter in any case of their preservation, transport and installation in an image forming apparatus, adhesive agents are not used for assembling, cleaning of a member that can be reused after it is cleaned is easy, it is easy to separate a member that needs to be molded again for reusing from a member that is reused as it is, and a member once used can easily be distinguished, and to provide toner for electrophotographic development filled in the powder storing container.
The first object of the invention is attained by employing either one of the following structures.
Structure 1: A cylindrical toner storing container that engages with a rotation transmitting member of a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus to rotate around the rotation axis integrally with the rotation transmitting member and thereby supplies or replenishes toner to the developing device, wherein the toner storing container has a cylindrical base body that has a toner outlet opening in the vicinity of the rotation axis on one end, the cylindrical base body has on its inner surface a protruded spiral ridge, and the number of the spiral ridges on a cross section of the cylindrical base body is increased as the cross section nears the toner outlet opening.
Structure 2: The cylindrical toner storing container described in Structure 1 wherein the number of the spiral ridges on the cross section of the cylindrical base body stated above is two or more at the portion where the number of the spiral ridges is greatest, and a length of each of the two or more spiral ridges is not less than a length of the circumference of a circle of the cylindrical base body.
Structure 3: A cylindrical toner storing container that engages with a rotation transmitting member of a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus to rotate around the rotation axis integrally with the rotation transmitting member and thereby supplies or replenishes toner to the developing device, wherein the toner storing container has a cylindrical base body that has a toner outlet opening in the vicinity of the rotation axis on one end, the cylindrical base body has on its inner surface a protruded spiral ridge, and has on its outer surface two or more straight grooves in a direction of the rotation axis.
Structure 4: The cylindrical toner storing container described in Structure 3 wherein the number of the spiral ridges on a cross section of the cylindrical base body stated above is increased as the cross section nears the toner outlet opening.
Structure 5: The cylindrical toner storing container described in Structure 4 wherein the number of the spiral ridges on the cross section of the cylindrical base body stated above is two or more at the portion where the number of the spiral ridges is greatest, and a length of each of the two or more spiral ridges is not less than a length of the circumference of a circle of the cylindrical base body.
Structure 6: A toner replenishing device that makes one end of a cylindrical toner storing container having on its one end a toner outlet opening to engage with a rotation transmitting member of a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus to rotate the toner storing container around the rotation axis of the toner storing container integrally with the rotation transmitting member, and thereby makes toner in the toner storing container to be ejected out of the toner output opening to be replenished to the developing device, wherein the toner storing container has a cylindrical base body that has a toner outlet opening on its one end, the cylindrical base body has on its inner surface a protruded spiral ridge, and the number of the spiral ridges on a cross section of the cylindrical base body is increased as the cross section nears the toner outlet opening.
Structure 7: A toner replenishing device to eject toner in the toner storing container and thereby to replenish the toner in a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus having therein a rotation transmitting member and a toner storing container holding member, by inserting a cylindrical toner storing container having a toner outlet opening on its one end and thereby engaging the toner outlet opening with the rotation transmitting member to rotate the toner storing container around its rotation axis integrally with the rotation transmitting member, wherein the toner storing container has a cylindrical base body that has a toner outlet opening on its one end, the cylindrical base body has on its inner surface a protruded spiral ridge, and has on its outer surface two or more straight grooves in the direction of rotation axis and are formed at different positions depending on a color and a type of toner stored in the toner storing container, and there are formed protrusions corresponding to the straight grooves which guide only toner storing container having the straight grooves storing therein toner used in the developing device to the toner storing container holding member.
The toner storing container of Structure 1 has a cylindrical base body, and when the toner storing container rotates, a protruded spiral ridge on an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical base body shows a function of a rib that conveys toner to a toner outlet opening, and thereby, toner in the toner storing container is stirred by rotation of the toner storing container and is conveyed simultaneously to the toner output opening.
Further, due to the number of the spiral ridges on the cross section of the cylindrical base body that is increased as the cross section nears the toner outlet opening, transportability for toner in the toner storing container is improved by the leaps and bounds, which makes it possible to supply toner smoothly to the developing device even when residual toner in the toner storing container is running low. In particular, when two or more spiral ridges are provided at the portion near the toner outlet opening where the number of spiral ridges on the cross section of the cylindrical base body is greatest, and each of the two or more spiral ridges has a length that is longer than that of the circumference of a circle, supply of toner from the toner storing container to the developing device is remarkably accelerated, and toner can be supplied smoothly to the developing device even when residual toner in the toner storing container is running low. It is preferable that the number of ridges is an even number, and two or four ridges are further preferable, and two ridges are especially preferable. It is preferable that a height of the protrusion forming a ridge is 1-30% of a diameter of the toner storing container at the position of the protrusion whose height is measured. It is preferable that a pitch of the spiral in the case of one ridge (a distance from the center on the summit of the ridge to the center on the summit of the protrusion of the neighboring ridge) is 5-100 mm, and a pitch which is a half the aforesaid figure may be employed in the case of two or more ridges.
The inventions in Structures 3, 4 and 5 represent an invention of a toner storing container wherein the toner storing container has its basic structure to have the spiral ridge, and when this basic structure is used for various types of toner storing containers, a simple identification mechanism is added without changing the basic structure for discriminating each toner. Namely, by forming, on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical toner storing container, straight grooves in the axial direction of the cylinder, in addition to the spiral ridge that accelerates the transportability for toner, it is possible to provide a toner storing container in which toner types can easily be identified by changing the position of the straight grooves on the outer circumferential surface of the toner storing container without changing the basic structure of the toner storing container.
Namely, when the toner storing container to be set in the toner replenishing device described in Structure 6 stores toner that is of the same type as that of toner used for a developing device to which toner is replenished from the toner replenishing device, straight grooves formed on the outer circumferential surface of the toner storing container engages with a protrusion formed on an inner surface of a toner storing container holding member, thus, toner in the toner storing container is supplied into the developing device. On the other hand, when the toner storing container to be set in the toner replenishing device does not store to be used for a developing device to which toner is replenished from the toner replenishing device, a straight groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the toner storing container does not engage with a protrusion formed on an inner surface of the toner storing container holding member, thus, wrong setting of the toner storing container is avoided. Incidentally, though the cylindrical base body or the cylindrical form in the invention has basically a cylindrical shape, those wherein a diameter of a cylinder is different at the front portion and the rear portion of the cylinder are also included.
The second object of the invention is attained by employing either one of the following structures.
Structure 8: A toner storing container wherein a member having a toner outlet opening is press-fitted integrally on one end of a cylindrical base body, a cover member is press-fitted integrally on the other end of the cylindrical base body, and the press-fitted portion is of the following Compositions 1-3.
Composition 1: The cylindrical base body has, on each of opening sections (press-fitting portions) on its both ends, a protruded portion and a retracted portion both in a circular shape following a circle of the opening, Composition 2: each of a member having a toner outlet opening and a cover member has, in the press-fitting portion, a circular groove formed by an inner ring extending from a side wall and having elasticity and by the side wall, and has, in the circular groove, a protrusion protruded from the side wall, and an edge portion of the inner ring extended extremely from the side wall is positioned to be farther than the protrusion protruded from the side wall, and
Composition 3: in the state where the base body is integrally press-fitted with the member having a toner outlet opening and with the cover member, at any section of the press-fitting portion, opening sections on both ends of the base body are respectively inserted in the circular grooves stated above, and two or more of three pairs including a pair of the inner ring and the protruded portion of the retracted/protruded portion of the base body, a pair of a slanting surface on the protrusion in the groove protruded from the side wall and an edge section of the retracted portion of the retracted/protruded portion of the base body and a pair of a root section of the inner ring and an edge portion of the base body, are kept to be in close contact and engagement.
Structure 9: The toner container for electrophotographic development wherein the toner storing container described in Structure 8 having a spiral form that is convex on an inner circumferential surface and is concave on an outer circumferential surface is employed, and the toner outlet opening is engaged with a rotation transmission member in the image forming apparatus to supply or replenish toner to a developing unit.
Structure 10: The toner container for electrophotographic development according to Structure 9 wherein the number of spiral forms of the toner container in the vicinity of the toner outlet opening is two or more and a length of each of them is not less than a length of the circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the container.
Structure 11: Toner for electrophotographic development filled in the toner container for electrophotographic development described in Structure 9.
Structure 12: The toner storing container wherein the cylindrical base body, the member having a toner outlet opening to be press-fitted and the cover member all described in Structure 8 are made of a polyolefin material.